GLENVIEW -- Glenbrook South got off to a flying start at its own tournament with a 1-0 win over Rolling Meadows on Tuesday at John Davis Stadium in Glenview.

The Titans opened on their front foot and stayed there until scoring the lone goal of the first-round contest.

"This tournament is a very important part to us, and our calendar, so to come out so strong is a good way to start a long week of soccer," said Glenbrook South manager Reggie Lara, who in his first season in charge watched his lads lift the big trophy here after defeating Wheeling 3-2 last season.

"We've been talking about, if you want to be the top dog then you have to play like one," continued Lara.

"I really feel like that's what we did in that first 20 minutes. In order to continue playing at that level, we've got to put together a full 80 minutes."

Eighty minutes was something these two sides would never reach on this day as Mother Nature decided to come through the area and throw all sorts of lightning in and around the Glenbrook South campus during the early games, which led to a couple of administrative decisions by tournament officials.

When the Thor-Guard system sounded 10 minutes into the second half of the Wheeling-Mundelein game, it started minimum 30-minute break in advance of an all-clear signal.

Teams and fans scampered out of the stadium and nearly returned after a lengthy delay.

However, another lightning strike ended the hopes of playing out the regulation, giving Wheeling a 2-0 victory, and officials pointed toward sending this second game out well after the originally scheduled 5:45 p.m. start.

A decision was made to play two thirty minutes halves with the hope of beating some dangerous weather on the horizon.

This made the Titans (1-0-1) fast start all the more important, and the pressure the tourney host laid upon the Mustangs (0-2-0) with their subsequent Justin Leszynski goal forced Rolling Meadowss manager Brett Olson's undermanned side chase the game sooner than it would have wanted to.

"After losing a heartbreaker in OT last Friday to Elk Grove in our season opener, I think all of us were really looking forward to this game tonight,' began Olson.

"But we were without a couple of players, ended up losing another to injury and never really found ourselves.

"We're not going to use the fact the fact that we're banged up as an excuse . The way we played is on us, and, of course Glenbrook South, because they came to play. And we didn't."

The Titans threatened early and often, much of threat came from a group which included Jimmy McMahon and Zach Ochab up-top, Jhonvany Guadarrama, who was pulling the strings from the midfield, and a backline that built the attack with sharp passes and quality balls over the top.

"That's what made me so happy about this game, the way we possessed, connected and played fast from the back, and through our midfield," said Lara.

McMahon, who earned Man of the Match honors from Chicagoland Soccer, was the inspiration in many of the Titans rampant attacks.

Guadarrama kept Mustangs keeper Matt Galvan busy as did Ochab, but as further chances went begging, it was McMahon who was at the heart of most.

The two-sport star (basketball) and 2017 leading goal-scorer turned the Rolling Meadows defense inside-out with a brilliant turn that set up Matthew Ruth, who was denied by Galvan.

As happens so often in this sport, the dominance of one side can be dashed by just one glorious chance -- that came on a wickedly vicious free kick strike from Sammy Olague that would have done in the home side if not for the woodwork, which took the full force of the 18-yard blast.

"Sammy has been snake-bit thus far," said Olson.

"He missed a PK in that Elk Grove game, (could) have realistically had 2-3 goals also, and tonight he missed on that chance, and later when he broke free to be in a 1-v.-1 with their keeper.

"He's a great player, so I know he'll bust out of his slump soon."

The Olague attempt did bring the Mustangs alive for a 5-6 minute span.

Olague drove up the left side, then whipped a well-paced ball from the endline and into the box to Ethan Kakavetsis.

Glenbrook South's center back duo of Gavin Morse and Kyle Barda defended smartly to end this potential chance. They and their backline mates Michael Zenzola and Nate Just were near perfect each time the Mustangs drew near their final third.

The Titans' McMahon might have been at his best when his enterprising stop-and-go run and carry allowed the senior enough time and space to play a lovely ball into the six-yard box.

That's where the sophomore Leszynski unloaded a one-time bomb in the 22nd minute.

"Our first half of play was not very good. (We) came ready to play, but we just didn't do it on the field," offered Galvan, who turned in a solid effort between the sticks with his play in the air and on challenges off his line standing out as his best work.

"We've got guys out, so we've got to try to find some chemistry with the players who we have. And when we do, we'll begin to play the way I know that we can."

That earlier mentioned earlier by Olague came when Adan Ramirez put his teammate through with a wonderful defense-splitting ball.

Olague had a step on the Titans last man, but an aggressive Christian Noordover raced off his line without hesitation, which may have been enough to persuade Olague to unleash his attempt one touch too soon and allowed the Glenbrook South keeper to make a point-blank stop.

The home side created a trio of corners after the big stop, two of which ended on frame to force Galvan to save.

McMahon bent a left-footed corner into the box where Jason Leszynski elevated to meet and direct towards an open spot at the near post.

Ramirez took a sure goal off the line with confidence to keep the Mustangs close and would soon be the one who would initiate consecutive counters.

The first came with Cesar Perez and Luis Marquez in the middle of things. It ended with a corner as did his solo effort when he beat a pair of defenders.

The final seven minutes were wide open. Glenbrook South looked to catch its opponent pushing forward, and the Mustangs on the prowl for the equalizer to earn point in the tournament table.

Neither occurred. Even worse for Rolling Meadows was a potential knee injury to Kamil Podraza two minutes from time.

"Kamil probably injured the same knee as before, but we're hoping for better news on his condition," admitted Olson.

"We scuffling a little right now, but part of the reason for coming to a tournament like this is to get in a full week of games to help us sort things out and to help our new guys get up to speed at this level."

"Ethan Kakavetsis, who's a sophomore, is showing what he's going to be after he gains more experience, so that's exciting.

"Adan is doing a very good running things in the middle, and Galvan, as I said after the Elk Grove game, has come such a long way since last season.

"We're hoping to have a breakout game (that) will get us going."

Rolling Meadows tied Notre Dame on Wednesday to move to 0-1-1 in the event.

For Lara's club, this win, along with another Wednesday against Stevenson, puts the Titans on course for a second-straight trip into the finals of this 33rd edition of the invitational.

"McMahon's selfless play is the type of thing that makes all of his teammates around him better," Lara said. "And with Gavin (Morse) and Kyle (Barca) giving us the kind of defensive play along the back, plus the menacing work from Julian Issar as our defensive midfielder, that gives us a chance each time we come out."

The Titans play their pool play finale against Notre Dame, while Rolling Meadows has Stevenson on tap.